ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Sept. 11, 2015) -- A U.S. Army scientist has broadened the understanding of projectiles in the hypervelocity range during his exchange-program research in Germany.
Research physicist Dr. W. Casey Uhlig spent August 2014 to June 2015 at the Ernst Mach Institute through the Army's Engineer and Scientist Exchange Program. While considering the program, he was interested in using light-gas guns and discovered that EMI had the facilities and expertise to facilitate this research.
A light-gas gun uses helium or hydrogen to help generate hypervelocity speeds, which aid scientists in understanding the behavior of projectiles and hypervelocity impacts. The gun at EMI fires projectiles up to 8,000 meters per second in an indoor facility, Uhlig said.
"One of my projects was being able to detect and characterize very small hypervelocity projectiles. How fast is it going? How big is it? I came up with an electromagnetic method to be able to detect and characterize particles down to half a millimeter in size," he said.
Uhlig said he will bring the newly developed measurement methods, techniques and procedures back to the United States, where he works at the Army Research Laboratory. This new knowledge can then be applied to armor research.
ARL is one of seven centers and laboratories that make up the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
One benefit of his German assignment was the opportunity to perform publicly releasable research. His paper submitted to the Journal of Applied Physics is under review, and the International Ballistics Symposium accepted another paper that he will present at a conference.
"Our main goal as physicists working in a foreign entity is to focus on the fundamental physics and see what knowledge we can gain that will be applicable in many areas," he said. "It was career broadening, and I solidified relationships and connections with the EMI."
Back in the United States at ARL, Uhlig focuses on new measurement techniques and diagnostics to measure materials under extreme conditions.
Uhlig's work aims to develop new models and experiments that enable validation of full-scale simulations and allow scientists to understand the characteristics of projectiles traveling in hypervelocity, which is typically faster than 3,000 meters per second.
"I study rapid deformation of the material," said Uhlig, who has worked in the ARL Applied Physics Branch's Protection Division since 2006. "What happens to it? Can our material models reproduce what's really going on? When we try to do a simulation, can we trust those results?
"I was able to measure the temperature of a shaped-charged jet while it was in flight going 8,000 or 9,000 meters per second. What do the models predict?"
A better understanding of projectiles' behavior and characteristics while in flight enables the Army to design better armor packages, Uhlig said.
"Can we use those simulations to design a better armor or a new method, technology or technique? Can I measure something about the material that has been elusive?" he said. "Can I make sure these material models, when I do a simulation, are telling me the right thing?
"Now that I've tested it and know it works, I'm going to model this armor package, and I have trust that the warhead is going to behave [as we predicted]."
Uhlig said the connections he formed with German scientists will help with future data exchange and collaboration between the countries.
"I'll being able to interact with these scientists and continue that synergy," he said. "I'll bring back those international relationships and a broadening horizon. There are more opportunities than what you see typically on your desk."
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ESEP participants should be in General Schedule pay grades 12 through 14 (or equivalent) at the time of deployment, hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and have at least four years of technical experience in industry or military/government.
ESEP Group 11 will deploy to assignments between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015. Group 12 applications, with deployments in fiscal 2017, are due to RDECOM by Oct. 16, 2015.
Selection is based on the following criteria: technology area, host country of interest, candidate profile, merits of assignment/position description, quality of application, foreign language capability (as applicable) and command endorsement.
For more information on ESEP, visit https://www.milsuite.mil/book/groups/esep. For additional questions, contact Brian Krzewinski at brian.e.krzewinski.civ@mail.mil.
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The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command has the mission to ensure decisive overmatch for unified land operations to empower the Army, the joint warfighter and our nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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